And all this time I thought the people who buy tickets to NFL games bought them to see teams play to win, not draft position.

Yet another change to the modern game I must have missed.

You do play to win the game. Problem is, we don't "play to win" until it doesn't matter.

I won't apologize for being frustrated with the same pattern of events for our franchise over the last however many years. Isn't the definition of insanity to keep doing the same thing and expect a different outcome? Well, there you have it.

You do play to win the game. Problem is, we don't "play to win" until it doesn't matter.

I won't apologize for being frustrated with the same pattern of events for our franchise over the last however many years. Isn't the definition of insanity to keep doing the same thing and expect a different outcome? Well, there you have it.

I don't think they suddenly started trying harder to win after we were out of the playoffs. I'm pretty sure they were trying just as hard at the beginning of the season. Sorry they didn't start the season out on a bang. That sucks, I know. But sometimes it's about how you finish and not how you start. We ended the season as a very respectable team throughout the league with one of the best defenses and offenses. We could have folded and been the laughing stock of the league again.

I don't think they suddenly started trying harder to win after we were out of the playoffs. I'm pretty sure they were trying just as hard at the beginning of the season. Sorry they didn't start the season out on a bang. That sucks, I know. But sometimes it's about how you finish and not how you start. We ended the season as a very respectable team throughout the league with one of the best defenses and offenses. We could have folded and been the laughing stock of the league again.

But that's the problem... this is the story every season since 2009, because we aren't approaching things any differently.

We had the talent to win AT LEAST 9 games.

You don't lose games like we lost them with a good coach/staff. People were out there who shouldn't have been out there to start the year and we paid for it. Then things settled at the end of the year, and again, the teams we beat had nothing to play for either. People can say what they want, but when there is nothing to play for besides pride, some players don't care about the outcome and just collect checks. Teams with more of those "check collectors" are easier to beat at the end of the year.

We happen to have guys with more pride. The problem is, they don't have a guy to lead them and show them how to win.

So, yeah, once Rivera and friends trashed any hopes of a successful season AGAIN, what do the wins matter when we've done the same thing time and time again?

It sucks so bad to be 7-9 for the 7th time since 1995, which is the worst place to be of course-losing season, out of the playoffs, no top 10 pick. But at least we pick before the Saints, and will have the 11th pick in the second round, above the Bucs and the other 7-9 teams since the Saints don't have their 2nd rd pick.

The Huddle - "I'm so tired of this franchise having a losing mentality."

The Huddle - "Welp we can't make the playoffs. Let's lose out and hope one kid can make a difference instead of our current roster instilling confidence and a winning streak."

The Huddle - "Fire everyone."

The Huddle - "We won a game give the staff another year."

sigh....

Having a losing mentality and losing are two different things.

You can lose games, you can even lose more games than you win, and it doesn't make you a loser in terms of mentality.

We do have a losing culture/mentality because our guys don't know how to win. And when the front office continues to operate in the same fashion that has resulted in the same losing outcomes, then the only reason you are playing for is pride. We happen to have more pride than other losing teams, so we won at the end - when it didn't matter.

I said the thing about the pick tongue-in-cheek... Of course professionals are more times than not, going to play to win, as they should.

It's frustrating knowing their efforts are wasted by people and powers above them and we continue to do the same thing and follow the same patterns and will most likely get the same result - so jokingly, "why not play for a higher pick if it doesn't matter anyway?"

I know most of you aren't as in to the draft as me this early on, but a prospect y'all will fall in love with by April is Eric Fisher. Probably one of the best left tackle prospects I've seen. Everything is there for him to elite, and has a lot more bulk to add to his already monster size frame.

Definitely my top prospect right now. I love Warmsck and I know he is a popular pick, but when it comes to the draft...LT > OG.

You draft tackles in the first and guards in the later rounds or free agency.

I want to wait and see how he does at the senior bowl. Dude hasn't played any elite pass rushers all season